A multi-perspective exploration of decision-making debriefing processes in an elite sailing team: Comparing declared and actual practice

Despite evidence for the benefits of debriefing and reflecting on decisions, and the existence of best practice guidance, no study to date has aimed to investigate and develop decision-making debriefing in sport to improve athlete's decision-making. To address these gaps, this study investigated the declared and actual processes of decision-making debriefing practice in an elite sailing team. Semi-structured and stimulated recall interviews were conducted to investigate decision-making debriefing processes from multiple perspectives in one elite sailing team. To provide a rich and accurate insight into decision-making debriefing practice, observational methods were then used to compare actual practice to declared practice. Results showed that there were discrepancies between what participants said they did and what they actually did, highlighting that perceptions alone cannot be relied upon, and objective feedback may be required to instigate accurate reflection of practice and encourage change.